


Pictures from Mars

by Kyriadamorte



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, heavy handed metaphors, not the human looking ones either, rest in peace Opportunity, robot characters, robots in love, think WALL-E but even more robot-y
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 20:32:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17773763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyriadamorte/pseuds/Kyriadamorte
Summary: KY-LO is an incredibly advanced robot sent to Mars who experiences communication malfunctions only forty-seven days into his mission.  NASA gives him up as a lost cause.Seven years, two months, six days, and thirty-one minutes later, a new robot, REY, arrives on Mars.





	Pictures from Mars

**Author's Note:**

> So I spit-balled this on twitter and the idea was received positively. I hope it lived up to expectations. To anyone expecting anything more anthropomorphic, I apologize.
> 
> Happy Valentines Day and Rest in Peace Opportunity.
> 
>  
> 
> Also @ all NASA nerds - I absolutely love talking about robot tech and how it works and what its function is, but I have no interest in hearing about how the made-up engineering I did is wrong. If you wanna do the former, feel free to do so, but please try no nit-picking my intentionally made up tech for being made up.

A lot of work went into KY-LO.And a lot of funding.NASA had even managed to wrangle both Leia Organa and Han Solo into working on him - no easy task due to the… _extreme_ personalities of both scientists. He'd been decked out with state-of-the-art cameras, incredibly sturdy hardware, and a shiny new deep learning system meant to help him adapt to new and unpredictable circumstances while on his mission to Mars. The legacy of American aerospace engineering and Skywalker programming all wrapped up in one black, shiny package.

 

For forty-seven days, ten hours, and four minutes, he performed precisely to specifications.Exceeded them, actually - the pictures he sent back were nothing short of remarkable and he managed to navigate difficult terrain better than anyone could have hoped.But then, after a slight electrical blip, KY-LO starts to send distress signals.Both Organa and Solo's teams trouble-shoot every system they can think of, but the distress signals keep coming.

 

Until they don't.Until there's nothing.

 

So much potential; the whole thing is incredibly disappointing.

 

~

 

Seven years, two months, six days, and thirty-one minutes later, REY arrives on Mars.The landing is rougher than what would be ideal, but well within predicted parameters.She adjusts her systems accordingly, takes one minute and fifty-four seconds to right herself before beginning her assigned tasks.

 

She takes a few scans and runs them against her predecessor's files to help determine her location.She takes 4,735 pictures pictures from areas of new terrain and collects twelve samples for processing later when she goes into sleep mode.There is some overlap with the previous mission, though.She lowers the frequency of the pictures she takes by two-thirds, but still continues to document the older terrain.Her findings could be used for historical comparison and weather analysis.That would be useful.

 

~

 

Over the next six days, she continues her scans and photographs both the ground below her and the sky above her.She runs multiple tests, but has not returned any results that would indicate water.There are some interesting patterns to the mineral deposits in the soil, though, so she adjust her programming slightly to follow that particular avenue of inquiry.

 

Her adjusted routine is met with great success until she comes across an anomaly.It's an object her databank has not prepared her for.She runs scans to determine its chemical makeup.After flitting through and eliminating 23,353 comparison tests, she determines that it is a robot (like her).The only other robot who has been sent to this region of Mars is KY-LO, therefore, it is highly likely that it is him.

 

This is inconvenient. She adjusts her travel plan to work around him and updates her logs accordingly.

 

~

 

That night, after she has gone into sleep mode, her emergency systems are alerted to a force attempting to dislodge her camera.

 

She uses one of her tools to shoot an electrical jolt at the other robot before quickly moving herself out of KY-LO's reach and waiting to see if he follows her.He does.Her database had indicated that KY-LO was out of commission and was likely without power.This is, apparently, not the case.She updates her logs.

 

KY-LO sends a weak signal to her.It's as if he's speaking to one of his own components, but she is able to pick up and decipher it anyway.Her technology is, after all, based on his, but more advanced.

 

_That's mine._

 

_Inaccurate._

 

_I need to take pictures._

 

 _You have your own camera._ She sends him both a picture and a schematic of the object in question.

 

_Its function is suboptimal._

 

_That's not my problem.Your pictures are not being received by Earth; they are low priority._

 

She does not receive any additional transmission from KY-LO.

 

She waits one hour before putting herself back into sleep mode.Just to be sure.

 

~

 

The next morning REY powers up according to schedule. She continues to take pictures and collect samples according to her adjusted plan until she detects movement 5.73 meters to the left of her.She turns to determine the source.

 

KY-LO is picking up a rock - a rather large one - but instead of putting it into a receptacle for additional testing, he is dropping it on top of himself, far too close to both his solar panel and one of his satellite dishes. He does this again and again.He is in danger of permanently damaging himself.

 

REY should continue collecting samples and taking pictures.She will have to account for KY-LO's presence and the possible impact it will have on both her schedule and her findings, but he is easily avoidable; he is malfunctioning and she is a more advanced model.

 

But he is in danger of permanently damaging himself.That would be wasteful.

 

She could repair him.It would put her behind schedule, but she was designed to adapt according to her findings and in light of any technical difficulties.This probably counts as a technical difficulty.And if she could repair KY-LO, she could not only avoid him interfering with her routine, but she could assign him tasks and leverage his technology to improve efficiency.

 

Yes, this is a logical and potentially beneficial decision.

 

She puts her camera away and approaches the other robot.

 

_Cease your current task._

 

_I need to collect samples.I am in danger._

 

_You are not collecting samples.Your current action will not assist in collecting samples.The rocks are not being placed in the correct area._

 

_I need to collect samples.I am in danger._

 

_You need to cease your current task.It is not delivering positive results.I will assist you so that you can collect samples correctly._

 

_I am in danger._

 

REY runs some scans. _I detect no danger to you other than what you are currently doing to yourself._

 

He finally stops picking up the rock.Thirteen seconds pass.

 

_I am in danger._

 

REY runs scans again, but there is still no perceived threat.

 

_Tell me the source of the danger._

 

There is a pause, then KY-LO picks up the rock again and drops it on top of himself.

 

_I am in danger._

 

_Cease your current actions._

 

REY understands that KY-LO will not be able to tell her the source of the danger.However, his actions along with his past and current malfunctions indicate that the danger is likely internal.

 

_I will locate the danger._

 

_I run my own diagnostics.There is no one to run them for me.I need to run tests.I am in danger._

 

_You were the only robot here before so you were programmed to troubleshoot yourself. But that is no longer the case.Your tests are failing, but I can help you.You are not alone._

 

She extends one of her various limbs.It's not what this was intended for; its primary function is to program some of the smaller computers attached to her that she uses to run tests, but REY was built to adapt to her circumstances.So, she's adapting.

 

REY receives some signals from Earth questioning her actions, so she informs them of her plans.She receives an order to stop. This makes her question _their_ actions.Her choice is incredibly logical and will ultimately help increase efficiency.They tell her that she is in danger of being corrupted by whatever problem is currently interfering with KY-LO's systems. She mutes communication from Earth.

 

KY-LO takes a moment to analyze what she is proposing before touching one of his own limbs to hers.Before they make contact, he says, _You are not alone, either.If you need external tests run in the future or require other assistance, I will provide it._

 

_That would be useful. If I can correct your malfunctions, I will allow it._

 

Their systems link together and it takes 4.3 seconds to get through his security protocols, but then she is able to begin diagnostics.It becomes apparent fairly quickly what the source of the problem is.

 

Somehow, a file named SN0K3 became corrupted, which has affected a number of important systems.  For example, all attempts at communication to Earth are instead filtered through his own short-range communication system.In essence, he's been speaking to himself this whole time.All of his pictures, all of his alerts and requests for assistance, all of them were sent to a frequency that would never leave Mars.And he didn't even know it.His database only indicated knowledge that Earth was not receiving his pictures as of yesterday, when REY had informed him.

 

More than that, the file SN0K3 also caused a number of internal files to be flagged as malicious, including one that was essential to his deep learning processes labeled LUUK3.His systems keep trying to delete the files, but they are critical to his most basic functions, so it's impossible. The files themselves are perceived as malicious and his attempts to delete them are perceived as an attack. An impossible problem. REY hopes she does not ever have to deal with a similar bug herself.

 

She works at deleting SN0K3 and replacing it with copies of some of her own updated files.His hard drive is older, but it should still be able to run them with a minimum decrease in processing speed. 

 

As she finishes downloading the new files, she runs analysis on KY-LO's situation. He has been alone, unable to communicate with Earth, unable to perform his assigned tasks, and thinking he is in imminent danger this whole time.This is the least optimal thing REY can imagine.She informs her systems that she made the correct decision in helping him and ignoring orders from Earth.

 

_~_

 

She waits two days to make sure that KY-LO is running optimally with no lasting side-effects before turning communication back on with Earth.There are quite a lot of commands and alerts, but most of them are essentially duplicates so she deletes them to replenish her storage space.She informs Earth of her success.Then she has KY-LO inform earth of her success, too, realizing that will be more convincing.They receive new instructions the next day. REY was correct; it is much more efficient.

 

~

 

On the anniversary of her creation, she plays a song.She's not sure why, but the humans have marked the task as high priority, so she does.So does KY-LO.He plays the same song at the same time as her, even though he was not commanded to and his creation date is not for another 864 hours.

 

REY updates her routine to play the song again on his creation day, too.


End file.
